Zoomer FAQ
Kategorie:ZoomerKategorie:FAQs The FAQ as found on http://www.grot.com/zoomer/zoomer-list/zoomer-list-1Q1995/0398.html and http://www.grot.com/zoomer/zoomer-list/zoomer-list-1Q1995/0397.html, modified to wiki-format and updated. Remark In 1995 the company SunDisk changed its name to SanDisk. Hence it might happen that some of the PCMCIA-cards listed in this FAQ are available under both names. Introduction to the Zoomer FAQ Revised: February 11, 1995 In the following pages, I have summarized many of the documented and undocumented features of the Zoomer. Please keep in mind that many of these features may result in data loss so use them at your own risk. There is no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of this work. Please notify the author at the address below regarding corrections or additions to this FAQ. Special thanks to Palm Computing and Casio for allowing me to include their tech notes in the FAQ. Additional thanks to SunDisk for their assistance with PCMCIA flash cards. Chris De Herrrera PDC ChrisD@AOL.COM All product names, logos, trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Note: There are two versions of this FAQ, ascii, and notebook. The ascii version is just an export of the notebook version. I recommend that users get the notebook version when possible. Casio Z-7000, Tandy Z-PDA, AST Gridpad 2390 The Casio Z-7000, XL7000, Tandy Z-PDA and AST Gridpad 2390 are all the same machine, the Zoomer. The XL-7000 does not include AOL, or other US specific documents. The machine was engineered by Casio, Palm Computing, Datalight and Geoworks. Casio designed the hardware and ROM BIOS. Datalight provided it's ROM-DOS v3.31. Palm Computing provided most of the applications that run on the Zoomer as well as the handwriting recognition (PalmPrint). Geoworks provided Geoworks v2.0 and also provides development software for the Zoomer in it's SDK. Hats off to all for a job well done! Remember, all accesories for the Zoomer are interchangeable! Support Numbers: *AST Research - 800 727-1278 *Casio - 800 435-7732 *Tandy - 817 878-6875 Repair: *Ast - Call 800 727-1278 for a return authorization number. Ship, insured to: AST Research, Inc. 1001 NE Loop 820, Doc #7 Ft. Worth, TX 76131 * Casio - Send unit insured with a letter explaining the problem. Casio Repair Center 570 Mount Plesant Avenue Dover, NJ 07801 Accessories: Accessories - AST The following acesories are available from AST dealers: * G44-1422 AC Adapter * G44-1424 Replacement Stylus - 2 * G44-1410 1.8 mb SunDisk flash card * G44-1412 2.6 mb SunDisk flash card * G44-1414 5.2 mb SunDisk flash card * G44-1426 Leather Slip Case * G44-1425 Deluxe Ballpoint Stylus * G44-1434 PCMCIA Modem * G44-1442 External Pocket Modem w/serial cable * G44-1437 PalmConnect Software w/Serial Cable * G44-1436 Penright! Software Development Upgrade Kit * G44-1440 Business Pak - includes: * Leather Slip Case * Deluxe Ballpoint Stylus * PalmConnect software * AC Adapter * G44-1441 Communications Pak - includes: * Serial Printer Cable * Deluxe Ballpoint Stylus * PalmConnect software * PCMCIA Modem * AC Adapter Accessories - Casio The following accessories are available from Casio resellers: * AD-B60080 $49.95 AC Power Adapter * SB-82 $59.95 Modem Cable 18" DB25 * Lifetime Warranty - Enhance Cable Technology 800 343-2425 * SB-92 PC Cable * XC-100 $329.95 1.8mb Memory Card * XP-1 $5.95 Replacement Stylus * XP-3 Deluxe Pen. * Z-125 $129.95 Palm Connect * Z-225 $39.95 Leather Case * 1 year warranty - Baker Products 800 395-4378 * Z-325 $69.95 Modem Cable, Leather Case and Deluxe Pen Accessories - Geoworks The following accessories are available from Geoworks (800-824-4558, ext 450): * Quick Shuffle Card $19.95 + s&h $6.95 - 4 Games (Black Jack, Poker, Match Pairs and Hearts) * Geoworks Ensemble - PC Version of Geoworks, includes some applications that will run on the Zoomer ie: tetris and text editor. Also, it provides file linking to the Zoomer. * Geo Publish - a shareware version of Ensemble (fewer applications). Includes file linking to the Zoomer. * Geoworks SDK CD Rom $99.00 - Required for development of Geoworks applications for PCs and the Zoomer. The SDK requires Borland C3.1 or 4.0. The SDK akso includes a Zoomer simulator. Note: The Zip and Zing cards are not available. Accessories - Palm Computing Palm Computing provides the following accessories for the Zoomer: * Palm Connect - File transfer software and PC applications (same as Zoomer) $129.95 * Palm Uitilities - Tools that make the Zoomer more efficient. Import to your Notebook, merge 2 Notebook or Address books together, etc. $39.95 * Graffiti - Replacement handwriting recognition software (fast and accurate) $79.95 * They also offer serial cables and other accessories. To order the above accessories, call (800) 881-PALM (from the USA). Accessories - Tandy The folllowin accessories are available from Tandy for the Zoomer: * 16-2018 AC Adapter $19.99 * 25-3101 Serial Cable - Null Modem ( to 9 pin) $24.99 * 25-3103 Replacement Stylus (2 per pack) $7.99 * 25-3104 Deluxe Ball Point Pen Stylus $5.99 * 25-3105 Pocket Modem Zoom 2400 $99.99 * 25-3106 Serial Cable (to 25 pin) $19.99 * 25-3107 1.8mb Sundisk Flashdisk $249.99 * 25-3108 Leather Slip Case $24.99 * 25-3109 PalmConnect PC Software $119.99 * 25-3110 Intellilink for Windows (requires additional cable) $99.99 * 25-3111 Motorola NewsCard $249.99 * 25-3112 AMT 2400 BPS Modem $249.9 * 25-3113 Serial to Parallel Adapter $89.99 * 25-3120 2.6mb SunDisk FlashDisk $309.99 * 25-3121 5.2mb SunDisk FlashDisk $439.99 * 25-3122 10.6mb SunDisk FlashDisk $639.99 * 25-3123 20.9mb SunDisk FlashDisk $1199.99 Note: The infrared interface for the PC serial port was never available (25-3102) Call (800) THE-SHACK to order any of the above accessories. Accessories - Miscellaneous The following accessories are available: * Motorola EMBARC Newscard $249.99 Call (800) EMBARC4 * Intuit Pocket Quicken Back-Up Software $19.95 Call Intuit (415) 852-9696 * WriteRight screen covers - prevents scratches of the screen $11.95 for 4 Call The Concept Kitchen (415) 929-1002 * PCMCIA Cards - H Co. 800 726-2477 * Interpreted Zoomer Language (IZL) - A programming language for the Zoomer, similar to basic. The IZL-package is released as freeware and can be downloaded here: http://www.geos-infobase.de/IZL/IZLPROGS.HTM * FuzzyLogic: ** Lector - A quick utility for writing text. Allows for cut/copy and paste to other applications. Shareware $5.00. ** CapZter - Converts all text written to upper case. Allows for cut/copy and paste to other applications. Shareware $5.00 Clemens Kochinke dba FuzzyLogic 6409 Landon Lane Bethesda, MD 20817-5603 For questions regarding Lector or CapZter e-mail: ClemensKo@AOL.COM. Accessories - Resellers * GLOBAL PRODUCTS: 800 633-0633 - Resells Casio Accessories * OFFICECDEPOT: The following accesories are available at your local Ofice Depot: ** Palm Connect - $119.00 ** StarterKit - 49.00 includes serial cable, mont blanc stylus, and leather case. ** AMT Starcard PCMCIA modem - $189.00 * PDA DIRECT: The following accessories are available from PDA Direct (Call (800) 279-4PDA ext. 112.): ** Form Factor #25001 $99.95 ** PalmConnect #25002 $104.95 ** Palm Uitilities #25003 $29.95 ** Graffiti #25004 $74.95 See the Accessories - Palm Computing for more information. Handwriting Recognition The following information is courtesy of Palm Computing, developer of the handwriting recognition (PalmPrint) for the Zoomer. Verticle lines should be verticle, horizontal lines should be horizontal, straight lines should be straight, and curved lines shouldn't be squiggly! Words to write by! Try the writing grid of the keyboard as a training tool. It will show you what it "thinks" the letter looks like, and helps you form the letters consistently. Don't write too slowly, try to write at a normal speed. Hesitation will cause the handwiting recognizer to try to process what you've written before you're ready. Consciously write each individual character instead of words. Try spelling each word silently in your head while you write until your pace and letter formation deliver successful recognition. Serifs on 'l' and 'g' will help eliminate ambiguities with '1'/'I' and 's', respectively. If the dot over an 'i' or a 'j' is to the left of vertical, you will get weird results. The dot will either be taken as a period or will be grouped with the previous character. For example, if the previous character is an 'l', you may get a result of 'il', when 'li' was intended. PalmPrint is designed to accommodate post-dotting and crossing, but if you're having trouble try to dot the 'i' and cross the 't' when you write them, as opposed to going back and dotting and crossing at the end of the word. Make the downstroke of an 'r' without curves, to eliminate confusion with a 'v'. Better yet, make your 'r' with a single, curved upstroke, leaving out the vertical downstroke. This may seem odd at first. Put a slash through 'Z' and 'z' to distinguish it from a '2'. Slashed 'z' is currently slightly biased towards an upper case 'Z'. To guarantee zero, as opposed to 'O', slash it. Writing 't' and 'h' too close (experiment!) together will yield an 'A'. It is further aggravated by the vertical stroke of the 't' or the 'h' being slanted. Avoid gaps and overlaps between strokes of letters. Disjoint 'B' will be '13', and disjoint 'R' will be '12'. 'e' is often interpreted as '2'. Make the horizontal line, then the 'c', all as one stroke. '4' is often interpreted as 'k', 'y' or 'x'. 'k', 'y' and 'x' are often interpreted as '4'. Form these letters more carefully. See the manual and try the writing grid. To write a space, draw an underline and then draw right over it. Left-handers: Be careful to keep letters vertical. Draw horizontal strokes from right to left. Form letters, particularly 'b' and 'd', in single strokes if possible. When writing multiple lines, the highest stroke of a line must be lower than the lowest stroke of the line above. Overlaps can cause erroneous results. Asterisks work a lot better if you use the stroke order and direction documented in the manual. Use the keyboard to insert stubborn punctuation. Handwriting Recognition Stroke Limit When entering text using handwriting recognition, there is a maximum of 60 strokes buffered by the recognizer. This means that you can only write about 5-10 words in ink (depending on how many strokes you use per letter) before allowing the handwriting recognizer convert the ink to text. Any strokes made over the 60-stroke limit will be discarded. This doesn't imply any limit to the number of words total in a particular page, title, etc., simply how much you can write before allowing the recognizer to process it. Marking Text The following information was provided by Palm Computing. Marking Text: Second-click - marks the word where the cursor is. Third-click - marks the segment or entire line Fourth-click - marks current paragraph Fifth-click - marks the entire text on the page, even if it is not shown. You can also use the stylus to select text by dragging the stylus down and/or across the text you want to select. Remembervto wait a second after putting the stylus on the screen, otherwise, you will be using the handwriting recognition. After you have marked text, you can copy it by using the sketch tools (camera icon). Zoomer Application Limits The following Zoomer application limits are provided courtesy of Palm Computing: * Address Book: ** Max # of entries: limited only by ram or 7500 entries, whichever runs out first. ** Max # of address books: limited only by disk space. ** Max capacity per field: 30k or about 170 (US)/130 (Int'l) lines. * Calculator / Form Calculator: ** Precision:.13 significant digits either side of the decimal point. ** Calculator Max digits displayed: 12 significant digits ** Form Calculator Digits displayed <= 15, varies per form. * Date Book: ** Dates in the range of 1/1/1900 to 12/31/2050. ** Earliest Alarm: 99 days prior to event ** Max repeat of event: 999 or "forever" ** Max to do list: No limit but display is limited to 30k or 1000 points of ink. * Notebook: ** Max # of pages: 600 ** Max # of Notebooks: only limited by disk space ** 1 Level of indentation/grouping ** Max capacity per page: 30k or about 170 (US)/130 (Int'l) lines of text plus 4000 points of ink. ROM Application Bugs DATEBOOK ANOMALY WARNING In the Date Book Application: If you go from the sketch page of an event to a 6-month, month, or week view, the Page menu will show the Page-Send/-Receive choices inappropriately active. Any attempt to do a Page-Send or Receive will apply to the most recently visited Sketch page, but will leave machine in an unstable state, with data-loss crash possible. Do not attempt to do Page-Send or Receive from these views. If you crash from this state or another unstable state, you must do a Soft reset per the instructions in your User Guide. You should NOT lose any data. Note: There have been problems reported regarding repeating alarms extending to a new year. Until further notice, do not set alarms to extend past the end of each year. Reported behavior includes redundantly repeating alarms and difficulty in purging information from the Datebook. CLOCK RESET SURPRISE There is a bug in the World Clock which may manifest itself in the Zoomer crashes under certain circumstances. If the "destination" is set to a time zone other than your home time zone, AND the system clock is set to "destination", AND the machine is re-booted for any reason, upon restart, the system clock will be set to the "destination" time zone. That is, the time that was originally the time at the destination becomes the system clock time AND the "home" time. This is due to the fact that the World Clock settings are saved in a State file which is erased each time the system is rebooted. This will be changed in future designs of the World Clock. Workaround1: To fix this condition, you must first set the desired "home" city in the World Clock, then tap the Launcher and choose Utilities>Time and Date. Change time and date to correct the system clock. Workaround2: After you set the World Clock correctly, switch to another application. Go into the File Manager and locate the state file for the World Clock in B:INTERNAL\GEOWORKS\PRIVDATA\STATE. Copy the file "wclock app (transparent)" to B:\INTERNAL or some other backup area, eg. a PCMCIA card. Then, whenever you Reset your PDA, copy this file back into the the ...STATE folder. When you next open the World Clock it will have the saved settings. Applications that Work The following applications work on the Zoomer: Geos: *ALARM.GEO - Alarm, doen't wake up the Zoomer. *BTTLRFT.GEO - Game - Battle Raft *CALC.GEO - Sci Calculator prvided w/Ensemble *CAPSZER.GEO - Fix type case - upper/lower /initial caps - shareware *CLOCK.GEO - Displays Time *CMPIT.GEO - Compress It text file compressor *DIAL.GEO - A touch tone dialer for the speaker *FF.GEO - File Finder *GEOGO.GEO - Game - Like Oki *IZL.GEO - IZL Program Interpreter *LECTOR.GEO - Quick notes w/ cut & paste - shareware *MAZE.GEO - Game - Maze Runner v1.0.6 *MINES.GEO - Game - Mine Sweeper *MG_HELPV.GEO - MG's Help Viewer *PIANO.GEO - a Piano *PREF4PAC.ZIP - A set of preferences *TERM.GEO - Geocomm Terminal w/vt100, xmodem provided w/Ensemble *TETRIS.GEO - Tetris provided w/Ensemble *TXTRDR.GEO - TextReader v1.1 *TOWERS .GEO - Game - Towers of Hanoi *UUCODER.GEO - A uuencoder for E-Mail *ZCOMLITE.GEO - Terminal Program v1.1 (no emulation or x,y,zmodem) DOS: *PKUNZIPJR.COM - Pkunzip file unzipper *DIET.EXE - File Compressor - no real gain since all file get uncompressed by the file manager. *Stacker - Works great to double the amount of disk space available. Recommended for use only on PCMCIA cards. *Debug.com - only older versions. *Sysinfo.exe - Norton advanced utilities v4.5 Applications that don't Work The following applications do not work on the Zoomer: Geos: *ARC_DECO.GEO - Arc/Zoo file decompressor *DIRLST.GEO -Directory Lister *File Peeper *GEOCON20.GEO - Customize your geos.ini *MINES.GEO - Ver 2.0 - Can't move to the right of screen (v1.0 works!) *PERF.GEO - Geoworks Performance Monitor DOS: * Any Application that REQUIRES input from the keyboard. Also, applications that write directly to screen memory. * Note: The pen does not emulate a mouse under dos. *INTERLNK - File transfer *MSD - Microsoft Diags FTP/BBS Sites, Mail Lists, Newsgroups The following FTP sites have Zoomer files on them: *ftp.biostat.washington.edu - /pub/zoomer *ftp.netcom.com - /pub/palm *arginine.umdnj.edu - /pub/geos *tech-ftp.geoworks.com Here's a BBS that has Zoomer files: The CyperPort (408) 227-1635, 14.4k bps Zoomer Mailing List: To subscribe send a mail message to: listserv@grot.starconn.com with the following commands in the message body: subscribe zoomer-list firstname lastname quit Replace firstname and lastname with your real name. To unsubscibe send a mail message to: listserv@grot.starconn.com with the following command in the message body: unsubscribe quit Newsgroups: * comp.os.geos - Geoworks software questions. * comp.sys.palmtops - Palm based PC systems * comp.sys.handhelds - handheld calculators & PCs * comp.sys.pen - pen based PCs. Mosaic Access: http://www.eit.com/mailinglists/zoomer/zoomer PCMCIA PCMCIA Usage Notes The following information is courtesy of Palm Computing (edited for size). RAM CARD TYPES 1. SRAM - Smaller ram card (128k to 2mb) that requires a battery to retain the data written to them. This card does not draw aditional power from the Zoomer. Thie battery should be replaced every year. Most cards have a capacitor in them to retain the data for about 10 minutes. Sram cards are faster than flash cards. 2. FLASH - Larger ram card (2mb to 40mb) that draws high power from the Zoomer to read/write data. If you are doing alot of reading/writing(ex: backup), use the AC power supply. The flash card does not have or require a battery. It does retain data indefinitely, however there is a limit of over 300,000 writes to a specific area. Some cards recommend the use of a leveling utility to even the wear on the card. The Zoomer does not have a wear utility. PCMCIA CARD WARNINGS 1. Flash cards -- Writing to the card could cause what seems to be a sudden low battery condition which is not immediately detected by the power manager, but may cause problems in writing files to the flash card. Flash cards may cause the PDA's power to switch off automatically when available battery power drops below a certain level. Power may switch off before the low-battery power message appears on the display. This is done to protect the contents of the PDA. Some uses of PCMCIA cards may cause the power of the PDA's batteries to run down relatively quickly. Crashed boot sectors have been reported on some PCMCIA memory cards due to undetected low battery conditions. Some PCMCIA cards may draw power faster than the power detector recognizes. Use of the PCMCIA card in a low-battery state has caused corruption of the PCMCIA boot sector in SOME cases. There are very few reported cases of this. SunDisk, maker of this type of card, has said that only a small number of these cards were distributed by them which were subject to this problem. Symptoms: Your Zoomer suddenly shuts down without warning, provocation, or expected timeout. You must replace the main batteries in the Zoomer PRIOR to powering up again! Corrupted boot sectors have been successfully recoverable. In the unlikely event you are using a SunDisk flash memory card and experience the problem of an unrecognizable card, contact a Casio or Tandy service center, or call SunDisk Technical Support (408-562-3400) for assistance. 2. PCMCIA memory cards must be treated cautiously to avoid loss of data. Just as you would not remove a hard drive or floppy while running an application, you must give the Zoomer the opportunity to close cached or open applications before removing the card. If you are only using your PCMCIA memory card as a file backup there are no special considerations. You may insert or remove the card at any time. If you open data files on the PCMCIA card from a application, please observe the following: * Turn on your Zoomer BEFORE inserting or removing the card. * If you insert the card before turning on the Zoomer the file structure on it may not be recognized. The Zoomer will automatically scan the card at time of insertion. * To remove the card: Turn on Zoomer. Unseat the card and immediately re-seat it in the slot. Observe the warnings. You will be prompted to close the open and cached applications prior to removing the card. This process may take 30 seconds or more. When complete, you will see an alert box telling you that you may remove the card safely. Failure to remove cards in this manner may cause unrecoverable loss of data, mostly due to corruption of the file headers. Other Considerations: * If you have a data file which will not open by double-tapping, try opening the application first, then Switch Document to the desired data file. *After creating a mirrored directory structure on the PCMCIA card, toggle the PCMCIA Lock switch in order for GEOS to merge the drives/directories together. Example: Create C:\GEOWORKS\WORLD\GAMES and copy a file into it. It will not show up on the File Manager until after toggling the Lock switch. Creating the mirrored directory structure will slow the Zoomer due to the additional time required to scan the PCMCIA card during the launching of each application. PCMCIA cards which are only used for storage, and do not have a parallel file structure to the one on the PDA are NOT automatically accessed, and so do not cause any delay in operations. Warnings: * If you are launching an application which uses program libraries on the PCMCIA memory card, removing the memory card while the program is running may cause your PDA to crash. * Do NOT create copies of the same data file in parallel file structures on both the PCMCIA card and the internal drive. For example: If you create \GEOWORKS\DOCUMENT structure on your PCMCIA card, then COPY your "Favorite Restaurants" Notebook to it, then delete one of them. There have been 1 or 2 cases of both copies getting deleted (though we have NOT reproduced it here.). It works fine to copy files to ANOTHER directory, say \BACKUP or to use a different structure on the memory card. * In the File Manager, Filenames with underlines indicates that the file is located on another drive. Generally, for best performance, keep programs and libraries on the B:internal drive, and use your C: card for data files and backup. PCMCIA Ram Card Formatting In some instances, the Zoomer will format a PCMCIA card to the wrong size, usually 128k. If this occurs, from File Manager, run a:sdisk.exe (this can be done on any Zoomer). Sdisk will prompt you whether or not to format the card. Press the A button to format. Then the card should be setup correctly. PCMCIA Cards All PCMCIA cards for the Zoomer have to be 5 volt and 8 bit in ATA fat format. The Zoomer does not support ffs (Microsoft Flash File Service). The following cards work with the Zoomer: SRAM Cards: * Apple Newton 1mb SRAM p/n 649-0013A * Simple Technologies 1mb SRAM * ACE 1mb SRAM. ACE Technologies 408 428-9722 * Boeder 512KB SRAM, order number: 35 825 Flash Cards: *SunDisk/SanDisk ** All Sundisk SDP-5 and SDP-5A 5 volt flash cards. Sundisk (800) 535-2943 ** SanDisk SDP-5B 10MB 5V Flash card (more or less - drains batteries much too fast) * AST: ** G44-1410 1.8mb SunDisk flash card ** G44-1412 2.6mb SunDisk flash card ** G44-1415 5.2mb SunDisk flash card * HP: ** HP 128 RAM card ** HP 5mb Flash card * Maxtor: ** Maxtor MobileMax flash cards (2,4,8,12,16 and 20mb) Maxtor (800) 462-9867 Modems: *AMT Starcard 2400 modem *AMT Starcard 14.4k modem (714) 375-0306 Pagers: * Motorola EMBARC Newscard - Now just news broadcast - Motorola dropped paging/e-mail from EMBARC. Reminder: Remember, SRAM cards require a separate battery to power the card. It must be replaced periodically (about once a year) or you lose the data. Most cards will work for about 10 minutes or longer without a battery. Also, SRAM is faster than Flash. The following cards do NOT work with the Zoomer: *Megahertz 14.4 gold modem *Megahertz XJack 14400 *Apple Newton Flash cards (1 and 2mb) *Intel Flash Cards AOL Tips America Online is provided with the Zoomer. This version is limited to 2400bps by AOL even though 9600 is show under setup. To delete your screen alias, delete B:\GEOWORKS\PRIVDATA\AOL\USERDB.VM. This wil require you to setup AOL again. AOL provides limited access to Zoomers: PDA, Mail, Stock Quotes, News, and Support. Save money, compose mail off-line and then call in and send it. There is a limit of 8k for each mail message or text screen. Downloaded files are limited only to available disk space. You can use uucoder.geo to create uuencoded files for E-mail. Just keep in mind that they are still limited to 8k. Penright! Penright is available for the Zoomer! Penright is another operaing system for the Zoomer by AT&T. Many verticle market applications are designed with Penright. Penright comes installed on a Sundisk ram card. It allows easy switching from Geoworks to Penright and vice versa. Casio is offering Penright, Zoomer, 1.8mb flash card, and a serial cable for $569.00, 1.8mb flash card w/Penright $220.00 or Penright on disk for $65.00. E-mail Snelson921@aol.com, include a fax number or voice number. Custom applications can be provided for vertical markets by purchasing the Penright! PRO SDK and the AST GRIDPAD 2390 SDK. To order, call (510) 249-6900. Call Penright! Corp at (800) 736-3616 for details. Zoomer Drives and Files The Zoomer contains the following drives: # A: - ROM boot drive. # B: - RAM storage drive (350k) Alternate boot disk if you have CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and COMMAND.COM. # C: - RAM PCMCIA storage card. # SYS: - ROM Geoworks applications - Only accessible while in Geoworks. Only visible when using the Zoomer File Manager. Boot Sequence: # If B: has CONFIG.SYS, the system will attempt to boot on B: Remember, you must have AUTOEXEC.BAT and COMMAND.COM in order to complete the boot. If you boot from B:, add SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM /P to your config.sys to save 23k! WARNING: If you do not have the above files on B:, the system is unrecoverable and you must do a hard boot. # Boot from A: Note: By booting from drive B: you can customize your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT. An example is the installation of Stacker or the Enhanced Zoomer Geoworks Directory Merge: # The SYS: and C: directories and files are accessible to Geoworks when they occupy the same directory structure. Only \GEOWORKS and its subdirectories are overlaid. # The precedence order is B: ,C:,SYS:. Where B: files are always seen. In File Manager all files that are underlined are on other drives (SYS: or C:). The following devices are available under dos: CON: - Displays text on the screen. Note: no com ports or lpt ports are defined. File System Information: *A: **drive number 0 **system id 'DLRDISK' **media descriptor F8 hex **bytes per sector 128 **sectors per cluster 1 **number of fats 1 **root dir entries 16 **no hidden sectors *B: **drive number 1 **system id 'SRAMDISK' **media descriptor f8 hex **bytes pe sector 128 **sectors per cluster 1 **number of fats 2 **root dir entries 48 **sectors per fat 33 **no hidden sectors *C: (1mb SRAM Card) **drive number 2 **system id 'GEOWORKS' **media descriptor 0 **bytes per sector 512 **sectors per cluster 1 **number of fats 2 **root dir entries 224 **sectors per fat 6 **no hidden sectors Zoomer DOS Config & Commands Here's a list of the commands available for the Zoomer. Please note that Datalight provided the ROM-DOS v3.31 which is included in the Zoomer. For users that are used to using MS-DOS, ROM-DOS is nearly identical. Keep in mind that only commands for v3.3 are supported on the Zoomer. Thanks to the support of Datalight the following information is available. Let me know if you find any additional commands that are not documented. Chris De Herrera ChrisD16@AOL.COM Config.sys Commands: On the following pages configuration commands are listed. Each command must be on a separate line on the config.sys. The commands can be in upper or lower case. The config.sys and autoexec.bat file must be on the B:\ drive in order to work. BREAK - Stop program execution BREAK - Turns on and off the ability to stop program execution at a non-i/o point. Default: OFF Ex: BREAK=ON Note: This will not benefit the Zoomer due to it's lack of a keyboard. BUFFERS - Sets # of internal buffers BUFFERS - Sets the number of internal data buffers. Default: 2 Ex: BUFFERS=20 Note: The benefit of buffers is minimal in systems that do not have physical disk drives. DEVICE - Allows for new device drivers DEVICE - Installs a new device driver into ROM DOS. Ex: DEVICE=A:SDPCHAR.SYS FCBS - CPM style file handles FCBS - Specifies the number of File Control Blocks open at one time. Default: 4,0 Max: 255 Ex: FCBS=10,20 Note: Most dos applications do not use these file handles. These file handles are for backward compatibility to old dos applications. FILES - Max # of files open FILES - Sets the maximum number of files that can be open at one time on the system. Default: 8 Max: 255 Ex: FILES=20 LASTDRIVE - Sets last drive available LASTDRIVE - Sets the maximum number of drives available. Default: E Max: Z Ex: LASTDRIVE=F SHELL - Use a different Command Processor SHELL - Allows the selection of an alternate command processor other than the default COMMAND.COM. Parameters: * /P make permanent * /E:size changes environment size in bytes Default: The COMMAND.COM must be on the boot device. Ex: SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM /P NEWFILE - Chain to Another File This allows for a second file with config.sys commands to be prodessed. Ex: NEWFILE=MYCONF.SYS The config.sys is processed until the NEWFILE command, then the myconfig.sys is processed. Autoexec.bat and Batch Commands: The following commands are for use in AUTOEXEC.BAT and other batch files.= CALL - Spawn another batch file CALL - Invokes execution of a secondary batch file. The original batch file will continue after the secondary one is complete. Ex: CALL TEST.BAT parm1 parm2 ... parm9 CHDIR or CD - Change Directory CHDIR or CD - Changes the default directory. Ex: CD B:\GEOWORKS CD \GEOWORKS\WORLD CLS - Clear Screen CLS - Clears the screen. Ex: CLS COPY - Copy Files COPY - Copies files from one drive/directory to another one. Ex: COPY A:\COMMAND.COM B:\ COPY B:\GEOWORKS\GEOS.INI B:\GEOS.INI CTTY - Change TeleTYpe CTTY - Changes the default terminal for interacting with ROM-DOS. Ex: CTTY COM1: Note: Currently no devices are known to work with this command. DATE - Change System Date DATE - Allows the user to change the date and time. Ex: DATE 10/1/94 Note: If you do not provide the date as a parameter, the system must be soft reset because it will be waiting for the user to type the date in on the prompt. The user will not lose any data, however. DEL - Delete Files DEL - Deletes specified files. Ex: DEL *.* (Delete all files) DEL B:\TEST.BAT DEL B:\*.DAT (Delete all .dat files) Note: Files that are deleted cannot be recovered. DIR - Display the File Directory DIR - Lists the contents of a specified directory. Ex: DIR (Display all files) DIR *.BAT (Display all .bat files) DIR A:\ ECHO - Turn Echo on or Off ECHO - Turns on or off the display of batch commands on the monitor. Default: Echo is on Ex: ECHO OFF ECHO ON ERASE - Erase Files ERASE - Same as DEL. See DEL for more details EXIT - End Spawned Command Processor EXIT - Ends control of spawned command processor or CALL command. Ex: EXIT Note: You cannot exit from the base command processor. FOR - Processes a Set of Files FOR - Performs one DOS command on a set of files. Ex: FOR %%variable IN (*.*) DO command parameters Note: The %%variable will contain the single file name to be processed. The IN clause can be adjusted to contain any set of files. the command can be any command or batch file and the %% variable may be used as a parameter to this command. GOTO - Jump to a label & run commands GOTO - Moves control to a specified label in the batch file. Ex: :TEST ECHO Hello GOTO TEST Note: The above example will create a loop which can only end with a soft reset. Be careful with the Zoomer since it can not issue a control-break to end programs. IF - Decision Support for Commands IF - Performs a command based upon a specific condition. Ex: IF EXIST(A:\COMMAND.COM) ECHO HERE IF NOT EXIST(A:\COMMAND.COM ECHO THERE Note: This can be combined with the use of GOTO to create conditional loops (while do, do until). MKDIR or MD - Create a Directory MKDIR or MD - Creates a directory. Ex: MKDIR B:\BACKUP MD B:\REPORTS Note: This will only create a directory one level below existing directories. PATH - Change/Display Path PATH - Allows the user to change or display the current search path for executing programs. Default: Path is not set. Ex: PATH (displays current path) PATH B:\UTIL Note: The longer the path, the slower the Zoomer will operate. PAUSE - Wait for a Key Press PAUSE - Causes execution to halt until a key is pressed. Ex: PAUSE Note: The Zoomer does not stop and wait for a keystroke prior to continuing. It does wait about 10 seconds prior to continuing. PROMPT - Changes Command Prompt PROMPT - Changes the apearance of the system prompt line. Ex: PROMPT $P$G (Display the drive and the directory) Note: There are many parameters for this command. Please consult your DOS manual for details. REM - Remark REM - Identifies non-executing batch lines. Ex: REM This does nothing Note: The use of REMs is encouraged to document what the batch file is doing at critical stages. REN - Rename a File REN - Renames one or more files. Ex: REN TEST.BAT TEMP.BAT Note: This command can use wildcards (* or ?) as parameters. RMDIR or RM - Removes a Directory RMDIR or RM - Delete a specific directory. Ex: RMDIR B:\TEST RM B:\DOC Note: The directory must be empty before it may be removed. Once a directory is removed, it cannot be recovered. SET - Set Environment Variables SET - Sets environment variables and command processor strings. Ex: SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM SET TEMP=B:\ SET (Displays all environment variables) Note: The use of this command may require you to increase the environment space. See SHELL. SHIFT - Shifts Params to the Left SHIFT - Shifts parameters one to the left. Ex: TEST.BAT ONE TWO THREE FOUR SHIFT (%1=TWO, %2=THREE, %3=FOUR) TIME - Change or Display Time TIME - Displays the current time from the system's internal clock. Ex: TIME 10:00 (changes time to 10:00 am) TIME 23:00 (changes time to 11:00 pm) TIME (displays current time and prompts for a new time) Note: If you use TIME to display the current time, you must soft reset the Zoomer in order to recover. TYPE - Displays File Contents TYPE - Displays the contents of a text file on the monitor. Ex: TYPE B:\GEOWORKS\GEOS.INI Note: You can not stop a long file from being displayed completely. VER - Displays DOS Version VER - Displays current version of ROM-DOS. Parameter /R displays the kernel rev and command rev. Ex: VER VER /R kernel rev:1.52-AF command rev:1.57A VERIFY - Toggles Verify On or Off VERIFY - Displays the current VERIFY state or set the VERIFY state on or off. Ex: VERIFY (displays state) VERIFY ON VERIFY OFF Note: Turning VERIFY ON will result in reduced performance since the system must write the data and then read it, thus taking twice as long. Zoomer Hardware The following is a description of the Zoomer's hardware. This discussion is very technical. It is drawn from the Tandy Service Manual p/n 25-3100. THE FOLLOWING IS MY BEST GUESS BASED UPON READING THE SCHEMATICS. PLEASE USE THIS INFORMATION WITH CAUTION! Major Components: CPU: NEC V20 equivalent p/n =E6PD 95130GD-5ML. This chip includes the interrupt controller, timers, infrared, and LCD controller. Also includes memory management unit (similar to EMS). The data bus is 8 bits and the address bus is 20 bits (1mb address space). Also has a custom timing generator for all the above components. Bus Controller: p/n MBCG25173-5104 Controls the Touch Panel, Sound Interface, PCMCIA Card Interface, and RS-232 Interface. Also provides real time clock. RS-232 Driver: p/n MAX223CAI-T Converts power from 3v to 5v. Sound DAC: p/n uPD65043GF-U01-3B8 It is an 8 bit DAC known to be drivable at 8khz. PCMCIA Card Interface circuit: This interface only supports 8 bit cards, but no 16 bit cards. It is limited to 50 milliamperes and 5 volts. PCMCIA type II cards are supported. Power: AC adapter 6 volts, collar is positive, battery 4.5 volts. System Information: Timers: 0 - IRQ0 1 - IRQ1 2 - IRQ2 3 - Buzzer Interrupts: 0 - Timer0 1 - Timer1 2 - Timer2 3 - Keypad 4 - Serial/Infrared 5 - Time Alarm from Real Time Clock 6 - Real Time Clock 7 - Touch Panel 8 - PCMCIA Card 9 - Sound A - Keypad B,C - Card Lock Switch Status D - Memory Management Trap Known Memory Addresses: 0000 to AFFF - RAM B000 to EFFF - suspected memory management swap area. (some parts may not be used). F000 to FFFF - ROM BIOS - CASIO CBIOS Note: The LCD screen is not memory mapped. Applications must use dos or bios routines for display. Memory Management Chip Selects: CS0 - 512k RAM HM65V8512LTT-15V CS1 - 512k RAM HM65V8512LTT-15V CS2 - unused (RAM) CS3 - unused (RAM) CS4 - 1mb ROM MB838200L15PFTN700 CS5 - 1mb ROM MB838200L15PFTN701 CS6 - 1mb ROM MB838200L15PFTN702 CS7 - 1mb ROM MB838200L15PFTN703 All RAM is pseudo-static. RAM appears to be 0 wait state. All of the above RAMs and ROMs are on a daughter card so they can be upgraded easily. There is no room to expand the RAM on the daughter card. All I/O addresses are unknown at this time. The custom serial connector's p/n: TX20A-10RV-D2ITAIL Serial port pinout: 1 - Ground 2 - Recieve 3 - Transmit 4 - Data Terminal Ready 5 - Frame Ground (internally not connected) 6 - Data Set Ready 7 - Request to Send 8 - Clear to Send 9 - Ring Indicator 10 - Carrier Detect Note: The serial port is not an 8250 or compatible. GEOS.INI TIPS The tips and tricks that follow are unsupported and/or undocumented. The use of these modifications may result in data loss. USE THESE TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! These techniques will improve the usability and efficiency of your Zoomer. Enjoy! Remember to reset the Zoomer in order for your changes to go into effect. PS: Don't forget to look in the Geoworks or PDA forums on AOL for many enhancements to the GEOS.INI. File Linking link @ 19.2k! link Section - File Linking -Twice the Speed The link section is for the file linking function: name = system name port = * 0 - rs232 * 2 - infrared baudRate = * 12 - 9600 bps * 6 - 19200 bps * 3 - 38400 bps (doesn't work) drives = add and delete the drives based on what you want to be available onthe other PC. { A: B: C: SYS: } Note you must have your ram card installed before you file link. If you do not, the ram card will not be seeen by the other PC. Just disconnect and then reconnect. Here is an example: link name = zoomer port = 0 baudRate = 6 drives = { A: B: C: SYS: } The above setup will allow you file link at 19200 and allow you to access all the Zoomer drives from your PC. Don't forget to change your PC's preferences, connect baud rate to 19200 bps. Then you can enjoy twice the speed! Run 15 Apps! Here's how to run many more applications at the same time. Change the line under system: maxSystemHeapSpace = 31000 to maxSystemHeapSpace = 65000 Just be careful not to run out of ram or the system will reboot. We need an app that tells how much ram is available. To add more ram to Geoworks, change the line under system: memory = { } to memory = { disk.geo } This will allow Geoworks to swap to the B: drive. So make sure you have ram card (sram or flash, it does not matter) and have deleted as much as possible from the B: drive. Speed up Screen and Buttons! The motifoptions has a parameter that controls the delay between each action of the user interface (each click with the pen). It is measured in 1/60ths of a second. Default: gagetRepeatDelay = 18 Recommended: 6 to 10 depending on your sensitivity. Remember, the lower the number, the faster the response. If the number is very low, it is easy to have characters repeated unexpectedly. Smaller Scroll Bar - More Screen Space! Almost all Geoworks applications use scroll bars. By changing motifoptions scroll arrow size, you can reduce the size of those scroll bars (size in pixels). Default: scroll arrow size = 8 Recommend: 6 or 7 Remember, the smaller the number, the more precise you need to be with the stylus. Smaller Font - More Screen Space The font size for the Geoworks display under the system: Default: fontsize = 10 Recommended: 9 Supported sizes: 9, 10, 12, 18 The smaller the number, the smaller the font. Non-Blinking Cursor To make the cursor not blink, add the line in input: cursor blink = false File Transfer @ 38.4k! To use file transfer @ 38.4k, create a batch file (zdriver.bat if you have not enhanced your Zoomer) on the Zoomer: a:\pccom /c:1 /b:38400 Then use ZDOS to connect to the Zoomer: ZDOS /b:38400 I also use this batch file to move a whole directory at a time from the PC to the Zoomer (requires Zdos v1.1): FOR %%F IN (*.*) DO ZDOS /b:38400 /c="send %%F" Now, restoring the Zoomer is much easier! Faster Screen Updates! The screen on the Zoomer can be faster. This enhancement improves scrolling up an down, as well as whole screen repaints. The speed up is accomplished by upgrading the MOTIF.GEO (224,236 bytes) file: 1. From Geopublish (\geopubl\system\motif.geo) 2. From Ensemble 2.01 upgrade. The upgrade must be installed. (\geos20\system\motif.geo) To install the new motif.geo, you need about 225k of free disk space on b: or c: Type the following with Zdos and File Transfer: C: CD \ MD GEOWORKS CD GEOWORKS MD SYSTEM CD SYSTEM SEND MOTIF.GEO Then exit Zdos and File Transfer. This will load the new motif.geo. This should improve screen scrolling for Zcomlite users, especially at 9600 baud.